Cardio-To-Go, at ROC House Women’s Fitness Spa, may only be a 30-minute class, but instructor Takeela Reddrick takes advantage of every minute to ensure a burning workout.

Our class started with a blood-pumping warm-up of jumping jacks, high knees, and in-place jogging. Once you become a familiar face in Takeela’s classes (and she learns what you are capable of) she’ll push you to your limit to get stronger and stronger with each class. Circuits of speedy machine rowing, box jumps with burpees, kettle bell swings and resistance ban runs provided an intense cardio session.

This fitness class is definitely not for the faint of heart. But, if you come prepared to work up a true sweat, it is definitely manageable for all fitness levels. Takeela may push her students, but if you have any physical concerns or injuries she is more than happy to accommodate modifications.

After you’ve worked up a sweat you can head to ROC House’s amenity stocked locker rooms for a shower, or quick change, and be on your way. To learn how to become a ROC House Women’s Fitness Spa member visit rochousefitnessspa.com.

To commence my first workout for Best Self’s30 Days of Fitness blog series, I enrolled in ROC House Women’s Fitness Spa one-hour Rhythm and Ride class. Whether you are a first-timer or returning gym member, this high-energy workout requires nothing more than for you to simply show up!

Upon arriving, parking was a breeze, and I was also warmly greeted and shown to the locker room to house my personal belongings. I wasn’t sure what kind of workout I was going to, but by the name of the class, I figured some sort of spinning would be involved.

Once my personal belongings were secured, I was greeted by Derry, our class instructor, who was super friendly and a ball of energy. That energy lasted throughout the entire class! While I found my bike, Derry helped to make sure all of the settings were correct for me. I’ve done lot of spin classes before and the biggest thing for me to enjoy a spin class is the MUSIC! I find it important for songs to have a beat that you can follow along with while you’re on the bike, and Derry’s selection of songs did not disappoint! The whole class was pumped as popular hip-hop, rap and pop songs blared through the speakers.

ROC House Women’s Fitness Spa

During the workout I felt energized, and although the hardest part of the workout was turning up my resistance, I felt even better knowing that I completed such a wonderful class. Overall, the staff was super friendly and accommodating to make sure I felt comfortable. Since ROC House Fitness Spa is a women’s only gym, I felt no intimidation, especially as a first-timer!

ROC House Women’s Fitness Spa is a gym and a salon offering services from massage, hair treatment, skincare, nails and makeup. It really is your one-stop shop to be your best self!

Stop by Best Self’s Healthy Living Expo at the Kaiser Permanente Corporate Run/Walk on Thursday, September 11. We have a great group of exhibitors ready to help you be the best you can be! Get to the run/walk early so you can go through the Expo tent to hear from health experts, nutrition experts and wellness experts, all while enjoying music, prizes and fitness demonstrations! You will have the chance to post it all on social media from the TapSnap photo booth. See the full list of this year’s exhibitors below and we will see you on September 11!

For today’s 30 Days of Fitness workout, I went to Roc House Women’s Fitness Spa for their hour-long Fet-ness class. Our instructor, Keisha, is from Trinidad & Tobago, and she explained the word “fete” means an extravagant party in French, which perfectly describes the extravagant Caribbean party feel of this class. The basis of this class is about taking high-energy Caribbean music and combining it with toning, resistance and strengthening exercises. Fet-ness reminded me of a Zumba class, but with strong Caribbean and reggae influences with the music and moves.

Fet-ness instructor Keisha and Best Self staffer Aubrey

When I arrived, I signed a waiver and they helped set me up with a locker. First off, this gym is beautiful and offers a variety of group classes. Not only are they a gym designed for women, but also offer spa services, a hair and nail salon, retail boutique, and an all-natural café. It really is a one-stop shop for health, wellness, and beauty! As for the class, I was excited to try it but didn’t know what to expect. Once class began, though, I felt like I was at a dance party! Everyone was smiling and the music was upbeat, so sometimes it didn’t feel like I was working out at all. We never stopped moving and the moves incorporated resistance training, so even though it didn’t feel like it, I knew I was getting exercise in. The hardest part of the workout was when we were doing the moves that required squats. My legs have been pretty sore from the other workouts I’ve done this week, so I was really feeling the burn when we were doing squats.

Not only was the workout fun and effective, but Keisha was great. She had so much energy and was having a great time, which was infectious throughout the class. Keisha had a smile on her face the entire time, and I could tell the music and dances moves were close to her and the culture of Trinidad & Tobago. Overall, the entire workout was enjoyable from start to finish! It was a super fun class that I would love to take again.